'84 Candidate Declares 2nd Run For Sheriff George Knupp Only Challenger So Far For Sheriff Noel E. Griffin

November 8, 1987|By Wesley Loy of The Sentinel Staff

TAVARES — One-time Lake County sheriff's candidate George Knupp has announced he intends to take another shot at winning the office in 1988.

Knupp, 47, a Republican, is the second Lake County resident to pre-file with Supervisor of Elections Emogene Stegall. By pre-filing, candidates for public office can begin accepting and spending campaign funds prior to officially qualifying in July.

''I can do a better job than the present administration,'' Knupp said Friday. He declined to elaborate, but a press release said Knupp wants to ''provide quality law enforcement through professional leadership and sensible fiscal management.''

He named Ruth A. Mickelson, a bookkeeper in Sanford, as his campaign treasurer, according to papers filed in the election supervisor's office.

Knupp, of Eustis, is head of the aviation section of the Seminole County Sheriff's Department. From April 1966 to January 1981 he was with the Orange County Sheriff's Office, working his way up from patrol deputy to captain.

His resume emphasizes his experience in budget preparation and management while overseeing such functions as street-level drug investigation.

A Lake County resident since 1975, Knupp earned bachelor's and master's degrees in criminal justice from Rollins College in Winter Park. He is married and has three children.

Sheriff Noel E. Griffin Jr., who in May announced plans to seek re-election to the office he's held since 1980, turned back Knupp's challenge in 1984. Griffin is also a Republican.

The first primary election is set for Sept. 6. Barring any more candidates, the primary winner will take the $56,000-a-year post outright with no runoff election or general election needed.